"Once again, we return."
This article contains spoilers for Issue 22 of The Wicked + The Divine. Read at your own risk. |
- "I am Sakhmet. I am war and sex and death. I feel nothing."
- —Sakhmet[src]
Sakhmet is one of the gods of the Recurrence and is symbolized by the head of a lioness. She appeared as part of the 2010s Recurrence.
History
Before godhood
On 13 January 2010, a pre-godhood Sakhmet went on a school trip to the British Museum. A classmate accused her of crying, which she flatly denied. They both viewed a statue of the Egyptian goddess Sakhmet, and when her classmate observed that she looked sad, she responded that she was made of stone and therefore didn't feel anything. It is implied that her father was abusive and she had some kind of trauma in her past.
Becoming a god
Sakhmet's incarnation was in 2013 and she was the second god to emerge.[1] She was approached by Ananke at a bus stop after she had seemingly run away from home, and they had a conversation about the differences between dog and cat people. Sakhmet, who was evidently trying to numb herself with alcohol, said she wanted to be like a cat because they "don't give a fuck". She was already a heavy drinker by this point. Once she became a god, she started performing in London, including performances at Bethnal Green and the O2 that were attended by Laura. She also engaged in a sexual relationship with Lucifer. At some point, the other members of the Pantheon realised that Sakhmet became violent when sober, and Woden assigned the Valkyrie Eir to watch over her.
Sakhmet was present at an interview between Amaterasu and Cassandra Igarashi, during which she was also introduced to Laura Wilson. Sakhmet became particularly catlike as she spotted a moving red dot and leaped across the room to chase it, knocking over a sofa in the process. The group then realised that the dot actually belonged to the laser of a gun. The mysterious gunmen attacked them, and at least one of Sakhmet's companions was killed. Lucifer, having lost her temper by this point, killed the assailants and was subsequently arrested.
Following Lucifer's incarceration, Sakhmet attended a meeting at Valhalla, and seemed to support Ananke's decision that preserving the Pantheon took priority over Lucifer's suffering. After Lucifer escaped from prison she helped Baal attack her. Although Lucifer managed to evade them, she was later killed by Ananke.
After Lucifer's death
The Pantheon was rocked by tragedy as both Inanna and Tara died under mysterious circumstances. To make matters worse, a journalist named Beth was sniffing around the Pantheon, so Sakhmet offered to eat her. Ananke warned the gods that she believed a demon was influencing Baphomet (who was purportedly Inanna's killer), and expressed concern that there may be war on the horizon. The gods started training in preparation, but Sakhmet elected not to participate.
Under the watchful eye of Eir, Sakhmet was interviewed by a journalist who was extremely curious about her past life, bringing up rumours of homelessness. Sakhmet evaded his questions and left both the interview and Eir, leaping away between the rooftops of houses. After reflecting on past memories, she murdered and ate her father, claiming that while he might have been a "bad dad", he was nevertheless "delicious". Woden and the Valkyries showed up to retrieve her, and Woden chastised Eir for leaving her alone while sober. He tempted Sakhmet back to Valhalla with alcohol, and she passed out drunk in front of the Morrigan's cage.
Sakhmet was called to a meeting of the gods in which Ananke announced that 'The Destroyer' had returned. Sakhmet joined Ananke, Woden and the Valkyries in pursuit of this being, who turned out to be Persephone. They engaged her in battle, and Sakhmet attempted to eat her, but was knocked away by one of her giant vines. She returned to Valhalla with the others once they realised it had been a diversion. However, Persephone managed to escape to the Underground, along with Baphomet, Morrigan and Minerva. Ananke sent Sakhmet, Baal and Amaterasu after them, where they engaged in battle once more and took Minerva away.
The battle continued when the other gods pursued them to Valhalla. Sakhmet guarded the walls and attacked the Morrigan, but accidentally let Baphomet past when she was distracted by the red flashing light of a fleeing Amaterasu ("Love the red dot!"). The battle was halted when Urdr showed up, and she tried to persuade them to put their differences aside to check on Minerva. Sakhmet was not convinced by this, and clearly intended to continue fighting, but was knocked out by Baal.
Appearance
Sakhmet is a dark-skinned woman with naturally black hair and brown eyes. She used to wear her hair long and bleached, with a dark undercut, but has since cut it short. She often wears thick eyeliner and tends to prefer skintight clothing, mixing leather into her wardrobe. She also has long, pointed nails, like claws.
Personality
Sakhmet's behaviour is often catlike, and can be playful or aggressive. Fittingly, she tends to sleep a lot. She readily admits to having done bad things and enjoyed them, and is the only god who claims to like the role in spite of the shortened life span. She is extremely sexual and has participated in orgies. She is also an alcoholic, a habit which is enabled by the other gods, as she becomes murderous (and even cannibalistic) when sober. Overall, Sakhmet is driven by a desire to not feel anything and always live in the present.
Relationships
Ananke
Sakhmet always obeyed Ananke and acted as one of her enforcers. She did not particularly care about the morality of the actions Ananke asked her to carry out. She first met Ananke at a particularly vulnerable moment in her life.
Lucifer
Sakhmet slept with Lucifer, and pictures of their tryst reached public attention. She later fought Lucifer when she escaped from prison.
Powers
Sakhmet is said (often by herself) to be the strongest fighter in the Pantheon:
- Superhuman reflexes and agility: Her abilities are very reflective of cats, as she is extremely agile and flexible. She has been shown to leap across rooftops and use her agility to avoid extremely powerful opponents.
- Superhuman speed: She has been shown to use her speed in conjunction with reflexes within combat.
- Fire generation: Her powers also seem to be tied to fire, as she once emitted flames from her eyes and mouth.
- Talons: She also possesses extremely sharp nails, which have since changed from simple claw-like nails to metal talons that appear to be embedded in her fingers and toes.
- In one instance she also used a finger snap to open a window.
- Performance: During her performances she summons large entities that are visually similar to cats, travelling through the audience. Due to her use of a microphone it also appears her performance involves vocals.
Past Recurrences
Sakhmet claims to have fought an Assyrian king in single combat in a past life.
Mythology
Sakhmet is based off of the Egyptian god of the same name (sometimes known as Sekhmet) who was seen as a warrior and protector of pharaohs. She is depicted as a lioness.
Quotes
By Sakhmet
Dialogue
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Trivia
- Sakhmet's design is based primarily upon Rihanna.[2] She is also heavily influenced by Kieron Gillen's cat.[3]
- Initially, Sakhmet's character was going to be Bast, but this was changed to avoid similarity to The Sandman, which includes a character based on Bast.[2]
Appearances
References
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